Uassoi (Celtic Levy Spearmen)
The Uassoi are Keltoi levy spearmen. Armed with what few weapons they possess they can help an army swell in size, but beyond garrison duty or chasing down fleeing foes they should not be expected to achieve much. Description With bronze casqued heads the Uassoi do not ride out. With sword in hand the Uassoi do not slay their foe. Never will the Uassoi stand, clad in mail, and command their kin in battle. For these are men not of the sword, but of the plough. Not a crested helmet atop the head but a quern in hand. Not a suit of armour in which to battle, but an ard with which to break the soils. Warriors they may not be, but any man worth the soil he tills can fight if needs be. When foes threaten your family, when beasts from afar seek to enslave those you hold most dear, then every man answers the call of the carnyx. Warriors the Uassoi are not, but within the bread lined bellies of such men is a determination worthy of respect. Historically we have good evidence for social stratification in many Keltoi societies during the La Tène period (c.450-20BC) both in the form of archaeological finds and historical data. In some parts of north western and central Europe, such as the Middle Rhine, north eastern Gaul, Swiss Plateau and southern central Gaul we find, at varying times, extensive cemeteries. Some of the graves within these cemeteries contain within them extremely rich grave goods, ranging from chariots to corral inlaid brooches. However, at the same time we find graves containing very meagre offerings amounting to one or two ceramic vessels, or in some cases no grave goods at all. Likewise in the settlement record it is possible to detect what is known as a settlement hierarchy, with varying sizes of rural settlements as well as a great variety in terms of size and the wealth of the artefacts recovered from them. This difference is even more noticeable at oppida, such as the Aedui capital Bibrakte, where modest houses are dwarfed by stately homes. Likewise, although the historical record tends to focus on the kings, princes and magistrates of Iron Age Europe, we do hear mention of the lower strata of society. Strabo and Diodorus inform us of "parasites" who attached themselves to noblemen, whilst Caesar describes Gallic society as being divided between the nobility and those who are not nobles. In the case of the latter Caesar states that the condition of these people is little better than slaves, and that they are often indebted to powerful nobles (curiously a situation which appears to have existed in Ireland in the Early Middle Ages). Nevertheless, despite the restricted freedoms which people in the lower tiers of Keltoi society enjoyed, we do know that they could, on occasion, be asked to fight. The best example of this is the rebellion of Uerkingetorix when the Aruernoi noble recruited sizeable numbers of such people in order to seize Gergouia. Category:Units Category:Units available only in EB2 Category:Aedui Category:Arverni Category:Boii